Karnataka government to offer grace marks and perks to medical students

Bengaluru: Final year students from MBBS and nursing courses, as well as doctors on contract in Covid hospitals, will get grace marks and financial incentives as decided by the state government.

After meeting medical education department officials and senior ministers, K Sudhakar said, “Final year MBBS and nursing students will get a special allowance and credits for serving on Covid duty. They’ll be considered corona warriors and accorded priority in vaccination. We’ll also provide them with a risk allowance ”

The government will provide the details in a day or two. A senior minister said, “We are awaiting final approval from the state finance department as a lot of money is involved.” Over 1 lakh final year MBBS students, post graduate doctors, interns and nursing students will be entitled for incentives.

According to the Deputy CM, CN Ashwath Narayan, the state plans to give an incentive of up to Rs 10,000 per month for a final year MBBS student in addition to Rs 30,000 that she gets every month. He informed that the state has also got approval of the National Medical Commission (NMC) to relax norms of ‘pre-fixed’ postings for final year MBBS students. He said, “This was a big limitation to get final year students for Covid duty. With NMC clearance, students can be given exemption from the cycle of being pre-fixed with particular departments/ specialisation for completing their final year course.”

Dr Devi Shetty who is a cardiac surgeon and chairman and founder of Narayana Health had suggested that the governments include final year students for Covid duty by giving them incentives.